WO2014093817A1 - Resonator device - Google Patents

Resonator device Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2014093817A1
WO2014093817A1 PCT/US2013/075004 US2013075004W WO2014093817A1 WO 2014093817 A1 WO2014093817 A1 WO 2014093817A1 US 2013075004 W US2013075004 W US 2013075004W WO 2014093817 A1 WO2014093817 A1 WO 2014093817A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
resonator
cap
resonator device
electromagnetic
sealed package
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2013/075004
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Russell Craddock
Roger Jones
Li Zhao
Muhammad IRSHAD
Original Assignee
General Electronic Company
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Electronic Company filed Critical General Electronic Company
Priority to EP13814388.8A priority Critical patent/EP2932219B1/en
Priority to US14/650,658 priority patent/US9998089B2/en
Publication of WO2014093817A1 publication Critical patent/WO2014093817A1/en

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03H—IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS
    • H03H9/00—Networks comprising electromechanical or electro-acoustic devices; Electromechanical resonators
    • H03H9/02—Details
    • H03H9/02244—Details of microelectro-mechanical resonators
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L9/00—Measuring steady of quasi-steady pressure of fluid or fluent solid material by electric or magnetic pressure-sensitive elements; Transmitting or indicating the displacement of mechanical pressure-sensitive elements, used to measure the steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluid or fluent solid material, by electric or magnetic means
    • G01L9/0001—Transmitting or indicating the displacement of elastically deformable gauges by electric, electro-mechanical, magnetic or electro-magnetic means
    • G01L9/0008—Transmitting or indicating the displacement of elastically deformable gauges by electric, electro-mechanical, magnetic or electro-magnetic means using vibrations
    • G01L9/0019—Transmitting or indicating the displacement of elastically deformable gauges by electric, electro-mechanical, magnetic or electro-magnetic means using vibrations of a semiconductive element
    • G01L9/002—Optical excitation or measuring
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01K—MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01K7/00—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements
    • G01K7/32—Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat ; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements using change of resonant frequency of a crystal
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L1/00—Measuring force or stress, in general
    • G01L1/10—Measuring force or stress, in general by measuring variations of frequency of stressed vibrating elements, e.g. of stressed strings
    • G01L1/103—Measuring force or stress, in general by measuring variations of frequency of stressed vibrating elements, e.g. of stressed strings optical excitation or measuring of vibrations
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L19/00—Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for measuring steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluent medium insofar as such details or accessories are not special to particular types of pressure gauges
    • G01L19/0092—Pressure sensor associated with other sensors, e.g. for measuring acceleration or temperature
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L19/00—Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for measuring steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluent medium insofar as such details or accessories are not special to particular types of pressure gauges
    • G01L19/04—Means for compensating for effects of changes of temperature, i.e. other than electric compensation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
    • G01L9/00—Measuring steady of quasi-steady pressure of fluid or fluent solid material by electric or magnetic pressure-sensitive elements; Transmitting or indicating the displacement of mechanical pressure-sensitive elements, used to measure the steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluid or fluent solid material, by electric or magnetic means
    • G01L9/0041—Transmitting or indicating the displacement of flexible diaphragms
    • G01L9/0076—Transmitting or indicating the displacement of flexible diaphragms using photoelectric means
    • G01L9/0077—Transmitting or indicating the displacement of flexible diaphragms using photoelectric means for measuring reflected light
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01P—MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT
    • G01P15/00—Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
    • G01P15/02—Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration by making use of inertia forces using solid seismic masses
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03H—IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS
    • H03H3/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of impedance networks, resonating circuits, resonators
    • H03H3/007—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of impedance networks, resonating circuits, resonators for the manufacture of electromechanical resonators or networks
    • H03H3/0072—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of impedance networks, resonating circuits, resonators for the manufacture of electromechanical resonators or networks of microelectro-mechanical resonators or networks
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03H—IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS
    • H03H3/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of impedance networks, resonating circuits, resonators
    • H03H3/007—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of impedance networks, resonating circuits, resonators for the manufacture of electromechanical resonators or networks
    • H03H3/02—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of impedance networks, resonating circuits, resonators for the manufacture of electromechanical resonators or networks for the manufacture of piezoelectric or electrostrictive resonators or networks

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a resonator device, in particular to a resonator device which may be used in a transducer or a sensor.
  • a mechanically resonating device typically comprises one or more elongate members supported by mesas which are provided on a flexible diaphragm. 10
  • the one or more elongate members oscillate with the frequency of oscillation being dependent upon forces acting on the diaphragm which are transferred to the one or more elongate members via the mesas.
  • a resonator device is shown for example in GB 2 162 314.
  • Oscillation of the elongate members is maintained by supplying energy, for example via an adjacent alternating electric or magnetic field.
  • energy for example via an adjacent alternating electric or magnetic field.
  • conditions are encountered which are detrimental to the device. For example, at high temperatures of several hundred degrees, metal tracks degrade and a piezo resistive function will suffer from 20 leakage which reduces accuracy or renders the device inoperative.
  • US 4,813,271 discloses a mechanically resonant sensor device in which the system is oscillated by applying high intensity infra-red pulses from a laser to a coupling linking two adjacent elongate members. Each pulse causes a momentary thermal expansion of the 25 coupling and thus provides oscillation to the elongate members by the photothermal effect.
  • an optical fibre or connecting stub supplying the pulses to the internal resonating device has to be provided through the device package which can lead to leakage to or from the controlled environment or vacuum conditions within the package. This can lead to reduced accuracy and damage to the device.
  • assembly of the package becomes 30 more complicated and expensive because of having to provide the optical fibre or stub in the package wall and then evacuate the package to provide vacuum or controlled pressure conditions inside.
  • Embodiments of this invention provide a resonator device which is able to withstand harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures which may for example be encountered downhole or in aerospace and power generation applications whilst still providing a robust resonator package that may be assembled without undue complication and associated expense.
  • a resonator device for a transducer comprising a resonator provided on a diaphragm with a cap enclosing the resonator 10 and forming a hermetically sealed package, wherein the resonator is arranged to be excited by applying electromagnetic stimulation.
  • Providing a hermetically sealed package overcomes the problems of possible leakage caused by having to provide an optical fibre or connecting stub through the package wall as in the 15 prior art whilst exciting the resonator by applying electromagnetic stimulation, such as by a laser, enables embodiments to operate in harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures.
  • Electromagnetic stimulation may be applied to the resonator from outside the hermetically sealed package , for example by a laser or optical fibre.
  • the electromagnetic stimulation may comprise applying electromagnetic pulses to the resonator, such as infra red or optical pulses.
  • At least a portion of the cap may be transparent to the electromagnetic radiation arranged to travel through the cap, such as infra red or optical radiation. This may be achieved by at least a portion of the cap being undoped or being low doped. This ensures that very little power is absorbed or reflected as the electromagnetic radiation travels through the cap.
  • An optical cavity may be formed between the inside surface of the cap and the resonator and the resonator device may be arranged to be interrogated by applying an electromagnetic signal into the optical cavity to derive a frequency change of the resonator.
  • the stimulating electromagnetic radiation and the interrogating electromagnetic signal may both be applied through the same fibre.
  • a method of fabricating a resonator device comprises providing a diaphragm wafer, a resonator wafer and a cap wafer; bonding the wafers together to form a hermetically sealed package with the resonator enclosed by the diaphragm and the cap and arranging to apply electromagnetic radiation to the sealed package.
  • Figure 1 shows a resonator device of an example of the present invention
  • Figure 2 shows an example of an arrangement of the resonator
  • Figure 3 shows experimental results of variation in resonant frequency with pressure for an example of the present invention
  • Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method of fabricating a resonator device of an example of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 shows a resonator device 10 of an example of the present invention.
  • the resonator device may be used in a transducer for various applications, such as to measure pressure, force, acceleration, the presence of a fluid etc.
  • the resonator device comprises a resonator 20 provided on a diaphragm 30.
  • the resonator 20 is enclosed by a cap 40 provided over it forming a hermetically sealed package.
  • the cap 40 is bonded 41 to the diaphragm 30, such as by silicon fusion bonding, with a vacuum environment provided within the sealed package.
  • the resonator 20 within the sealed package is excited or stimulated by applying electromagnetic radiation, such as infra-red or visible light, from outside the sealed package, in this example from a fibre 50, onto the resonator 20.
  • the resonator device 10 may be 5 interrogated by electromagnetic radiation as well.
  • the resonator 20 and the inside surface of the cap 40 may form an optical cavity 60, such as a Fabry-Perot cavity between them.
  • a force such as pressure acting on the outside surface of the diaphragm 30, changes the stiffness of the resonator 20 causing its resonant frequency to change.
  • the resonant frequency may be determined, for example by analysing the interference fringe pattern of an 10 interrogating electromagnetic signal applied to the optical cavity, such that the pressure acting on the outside surface of the diaphragm may be derived.
  • the resonator device 10 may be stimulated and interrogated using only one fibre 50. Different wave lengths of electromagnetic radiation may be used to stimulate and interrogate respectively the device 10 using the same fibre 50. Alternatively or additionally, stimulation and interrogation may be 15 performed at different times.
  • the resonator device may be made from silicon, such as single crystal silicon providing the advantages of no creep and no plasticity. MEMS technology may be used for fabrication.
  • the resonator package 10 may be made by silicon fusion bonding the diaphragm 30, resonator 20 and cap 40 together to create a hermetic seal of the resonator cavity 60 and to simultaneously produce vacuum conditions inside the package 10 without requiring subsequent processing steps to evacuate the package.
  • the electromagnetic stimulation 50 is applied extrinsically, the package does not need to be penetrated so that the evacuated 25 optical cavity 60 within the package is not compromised.
  • the transducer of this example is especially suitable for use in harsh and high temperature environments such as downhole in oil and gas operations, in geothermal applications and aero-engines for example because of its robustness due to the use of a hermetically sealed package.
  • Figure 2 is a top view of an example of a resonator 20.
  • a resonator beam 21 is supported by two mesas 22 that are standing on the diaphragm 30.
  • the resonator beam 21 shown in Figure 2 is attached to the mesas 22 via supports 23.
  • any suitable resonator arrangement may be used, such as the one shown in side view of Figure 1 with the resonator beam 21 directly supported by the mesas 22.
  • the resonator 20 is excited by applying electromagnetic stimulation via the fibre 50 to excite vertical vibrations by means of the photothermal effect.
  • a target pad 24 with a surface arranged to absorb the electromagnetic stimulation is provided on the resonator beam 21, preferably in the centre.
  • the target 24 may be coated with an electromagnetic 15 radiation absorbing layer to enable its temperature to be changed more easily by the applied electromagnetic radiation,
  • the optical target may comprise a shallow, opaque region such as by being heavily Boron doped to absorb more power from the electromagnetic stimulation which helps to reduce the power budget from the laser source.
  • the target pad 24 is heated up by the electromagnetic stimulation and performs a deformation. When the electromagnetic 20 stimulation is turned off, the heat is then dissipated and the resonator beam 21 returns to its previous state.
  • appropriate modulation pulses depending upon the particular circumstances, eg power of stimulating electromagnetic radiation, size of resonator beam 21, size of target pad 24 etc the resonator can be excited to an appropriate resonating mode.
  • the target pad 24 may be relatively large, for example twice, five times or ten times larger than the fibre diameter. This enables the electromagnetic source 50 to be aligned easily with the target 24 such that active alignment is not required and provides robustness to protect against subsequent relative movement.
  • the interrogating electromagnetic radiation applied from outside the hermetically sealed device 10 from the fibre 50 is partially reflected back from the internal surface of the cap 40 and partially dynamically modulated by the resonator beam 21 and then also reflected back to the fibre 50.
  • Pressure applied to the external surface of the diaphragm 30 can then be derived by measuring the characteristics of the phase interference fringes from the reflected interrogating electromagnetic radiation through the optical cavity 60.
  • the resonator 20 is arranged to maintain lateral dynamic balance and mass balance in a vertical direction, in this example by having a symmetrical structure. Alternatively or additionally this may be achieved by the resonator beam 21 being driven in the 3rd mode.
  • the deflection of 10 the resonator determines the resolution of the interference fringes.
  • the resonator of this example is designed to achieve a deflection of about 1 ⁇ 4 of the wavelength of the interrogating electromagnetic radiation (about 400nm for a 1550 nm laser) to provide relatively high level modulation without introducing severe straining stiffening thus achieving low non-linearity.
  • the cap 40 or at least the portion of the cap 40 through which electromagnetic radiation is passed, is transparent to the electromagnetic radiation. This may for example be achieved by using an undoped or relatively low doped cap 40 or portion of the cap 40 through which the electromagnetic radiation is arranged to pass. This ensures that little or no power is absorbed 20 or reflected while the electromagnetic radiation is travelling through the cap 40.
  • the resonator device may be provided with an integrated temperature sensor. Since the thickness of the cap 40 varies with temperature, by measuring the thermal expansion of the cap using the electromagnetic stimulation or interrogation signal, the temperature of the package may be determined, for example by using previous calibration using a look-up table, algorithm etc. A suitable cap thickness may be selected such that its "optical thickness" can be measured as a temperature signal. A temperature measurement enables resonator frequency changes to be compensated for temperature for enhanced accuracy.
  • the device may also be used as a temperature sensor or multivariable sensor.
  • Figure 3 shows the clear correspondence between applied pressure and resultant resonant frequency of the package illustrating the precision of results achieved from a resonator device which is also very robust and suitable for use in harsh environments, such as downhole, in aeroengines etc. Similar results are obtained when using the resonator device to measure other characteristics such as force, acceleration, fluid presence etc.
  • FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for fabricating a resonator device 10.
  • a diaphragm wafer 30, a resonator wafer 20 and a cap wafer 40 are provided.
  • they are bonded together, preferably by silicon fusion bonding, to form a hermetically sealed 10 package 10 with the resonator 20 enclosed by the diaphragm 30 and cap 40.
  • electromagnetic radiation is arranged to be applied extrinsically to the sealed package 10 to stimulate and interrogate the resonator 20, for example via a fibre 50 connected to an appropriate source of electromagnetic radiation such as a laser.
  • the resonator device 10 may be used in any appropriate transducer device, such as to measure pressure, force, acceleration, the presence of a fluid etc.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Measuring Fluid Pressure (AREA)
  • Micromachines (AREA)

Abstract

A resonator device (10) is disclosed. The resonator device may be used in a transducer or a sensor such as a pressure, force or acceleration sensor. The resonator device comprises a resonator (20) provided on a diaphragm (30). A cap (40) is provided which may be fusion bonded to the diaphragm (30))to enclose the resonator (20) and form a hermetically sealed package (10). The resonator device is excited by applying electromagnetic stimulation, such as infra-red or optical stimulation, which may be from a laser via a fibre (50). The resonator device may be interrogated by applying an electromagnetic signal into the optical cavity formed between the resonator (20) and the inside surface of the cap (40) to derive a frequency change of the resonator. As the resonator device incorporates a hermetically sealed package and is stimulated by electromagnetic radiation, it is robust and able to operate in harsh environments.

Description

RESONATOR DEVICE
[0001] This invention relates to a resonator device, in particular to a resonator device which may be used in a transducer or a sensor.
[0002] Resonator devices, especially so-called MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) resonator devices provide compact, cost-effective and precise components which may be used in various applications such as sensors and actuators. A mechanically resonating device typically comprises one or more elongate members supported by mesas which are provided on a flexible diaphragm. 10 In use, the one or more elongate members oscillate with the frequency of oscillation being dependent upon forces acting on the diaphragm which are transferred to the one or more elongate members via the mesas. Such a resonator device is shown for example in GB 2 162 314.
[0003] Oscillation of the elongate members is maintained by supplying energy, for example via an adjacent alternating electric or magnetic field. However, in many applications such as downhole in oil and gas fields, in aerospace applications and in power generation, conditions are encountered which are detrimental to the device. For example, at high temperatures of several hundred degrees, metal tracks degrade and a piezo resistive function will suffer from 20 leakage which reduces accuracy or renders the device inoperative.
[0004] US 4,813,271 discloses a mechanically resonant sensor device in which the system is oscillated by applying high intensity infra-red pulses from a laser to a coupling linking two adjacent elongate members. Each pulse causes a momentary thermal expansion of the 25 coupling and thus provides oscillation to the elongate members by the photothermal effect. However, an optical fibre or connecting stub supplying the pulses to the internal resonating device has to be provided through the device package which can lead to leakage to or from the controlled environment or vacuum conditions within the package. This can lead to reduced accuracy and damage to the device. Furthermore, assembly of the package becomes 30 more complicated and expensive because of having to provide the optical fibre or stub in the package wall and then evacuate the package to provide vacuum or controlled pressure conditions inside.
[0005] Embodiments of this invention provide a resonator device which is able to withstand harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures which may for example be encountered downhole or in aerospace and power generation applications whilst still providing a robust resonator package that may be assembled without undue complication and associated expense.
[0006] According to a first aspect, there is provided a resonator device for a transducer, the resonator device comprising a resonator provided on a diaphragm with a cap enclosing the resonator 10 and forming a hermetically sealed package, wherein the resonator is arranged to be excited by applying electromagnetic stimulation.
[0007] Providing a hermetically sealed package overcomes the problems of possible leakage caused by having to provide an optical fibre or connecting stub through the package wall as in the 15 prior art whilst exciting the resonator by applying electromagnetic stimulation, such as by a laser, enables embodiments to operate in harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures.
[0008] Electromagnetic stimulation may be applied to the resonator from outside the hermetically sealed package , for example by a laser or optical fibre. The electromagnetic stimulation may comprise applying electromagnetic pulses to the resonator, such as infra red or optical pulses.
[0009] At least a portion of the cap may be transparent to the electromagnetic radiation arranged to travel through the cap, such as infra red or optical radiation. This may be achieved by at least a portion of the cap being undoped or being low doped. This ensures that very little power is absorbed or reflected as the electromagnetic radiation travels through the cap.
[0010] An optical cavity may be formed between the inside surface of the cap and the resonator and the resonator device may be arranged to be interrogated by applying an electromagnetic signal into the optical cavity to derive a frequency change of the resonator. The stimulating electromagnetic radiation and the interrogating electromagnetic signal may both be applied through the same fibre.
[001 1] According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of fabricating a resonator device. The 5 method comprises providing a diaphragm wafer, a resonator wafer and a cap wafer; bonding the wafers together to form a hermetically sealed package with the resonator enclosed by the diaphragm and the cap and arranging to apply electromagnetic radiation to the sealed package. [0012] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with
[0013] reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0014] Figure 1 shows a resonator device of an example of the present invention;
[0015] Figure 2 shows an example of an arrangement of the resonator;
[0016] Figure 3 shows experimental results of variation in resonant frequency with pressure for an example of the present invention and
[0017] Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method of fabricating a resonator device of an example of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 1 shows a resonator device 10 of an example of the present invention. The resonator device may be used in a transducer for various applications, such as to measure pressure, force, acceleration, the presence of a fluid etc. The resonator device comprises a resonator 20 provided on a diaphragm 30. The resonator 20 is enclosed by a cap 40 provided over it forming a hermetically sealed package. In this example the cap 40 is bonded 41 to the diaphragm 30, such as by silicon fusion bonding, with a vacuum environment provided within the sealed package. The resonator 20 within the sealed package is excited or stimulated by applying electromagnetic radiation, such as infra-red or visible light, from outside the sealed package, in this example from a fibre 50, onto the resonator 20.
[0019] As well as being excited by electromagnetic radiation, the resonator device 10 may be 5 interrogated by electromagnetic radiation as well. The resonator 20 and the inside surface of the cap 40 may form an optical cavity 60, such as a Fabry-Perot cavity between them. A force, such as pressure acting on the outside surface of the diaphragm 30, changes the stiffness of the resonator 20 causing its resonant frequency to change. The resonant frequency may be determined, for example by analysing the interference fringe pattern of an 10 interrogating electromagnetic signal applied to the optical cavity, such that the pressure acting on the outside surface of the diaphragm may be derived. The resonator device 10 may be stimulated and interrogated using only one fibre 50. Different wave lengths of electromagnetic radiation may be used to stimulate and interrogate respectively the device 10 using the same fibre 50. Alternatively or additionally, stimulation and interrogation may be 15 performed at different times.
[0020] The resonator device may be made from silicon, such as single crystal silicon providing the advantages of no creep and no plasticity. MEMS technology may be used for fabrication.
[0021] The resonator package 10 may be made by silicon fusion bonding the diaphragm 30, resonator 20 and cap 40 together to create a hermetic seal of the resonator cavity 60 and to simultaneously produce vacuum conditions inside the package 10 without requiring subsequent processing steps to evacuate the package. As the electromagnetic stimulation 50 is applied extrinsically, the package does not need to be penetrated so that the evacuated 25 optical cavity 60 within the package is not compromised. The transducer of this example is especially suitable for use in harsh and high temperature environments such as downhole in oil and gas operations, in geothermal applications and aero-engines for example because of its robustness due to the use of a hermetically sealed package.
[0022] Figure 2 is a top view of an example of a resonator 20. In this example a resonator beam 21 is supported by two mesas 22 that are standing on the diaphragm 30. The resonator beam 21 shown in Figure 2 is attached to the mesas 22 via supports 23. However, any suitable resonator arrangement may be used, such as the one shown in side view of Figure 1 with the resonator beam 21 directly supported by the mesas 22.
[0023] When a force 5 such as pressure, acceleration etc is applied to the external surface of the diaphragm 30, a corresponding deflection is generated in the diaphragm 30. The deflection is then transferred into a stretching force in the resonator beam 21 through the mesas 22. The resonator beam 21 is thus stiffened and the resonant frequency of the resonator beam changes corresponding to the pressure applied to the diaphragm 30.
[0024] The resonator 20 is excited by applying electromagnetic stimulation via the fibre 50 to excite vertical vibrations by means of the photothermal effect. In this example a target pad 24 with a surface arranged to absorb the electromagnetic stimulation is provided on the resonator beam 21, preferably in the centre. The target 24 may be coated with an electromagnetic 15 radiation absorbing layer to enable its temperature to be changed more easily by the applied electromagnetic radiation, The optical target may comprise a shallow, opaque region such as by being heavily Boron doped to absorb more power from the electromagnetic stimulation which helps to reduce the power budget from the laser source. The target pad 24 is heated up by the electromagnetic stimulation and performs a deformation. When the electromagnetic 20 stimulation is turned off, the heat is then dissipated and the resonator beam 21 returns to its previous state. By applying appropriate modulation pulses depending upon the particular circumstances, eg power of stimulating electromagnetic radiation, size of resonator beam 21, size of target pad 24 etc the resonator can be excited to an appropriate resonating mode.
[0025] The target pad 24 may be relatively large, for example twice, five times or ten times larger than the fibre diameter. This enables the electromagnetic source 50 to be aligned easily with the target 24 such that active alignment is not required and provides robustness to protect against subsequent relative movement.
[0026] The interrogating electromagnetic radiation applied from outside the hermetically sealed device 10 from the fibre 50 is partially reflected back from the internal surface of the cap 40 and partially dynamically modulated by the resonator beam 21 and then also reflected back to the fibre 50. Pressure applied to the external surface of the diaphragm 30 can then be derived by measuring the characteristics of the phase interference fringes from the reflected interrogating electromagnetic radiation through the optical cavity 60.
[0027] The resonator 20 is arranged to maintain lateral dynamic balance and mass balance in a vertical direction, in this example by having a symmetrical structure. Alternatively or additionally this may be achieved by the resonator beam 21 being driven in the 3rd mode.
[0028] The deflection of 10 the resonator determines the resolution of the interference fringes. The resonator of this example is designed to achieve a deflection of about ¼ of the wavelength of the interrogating electromagnetic radiation (about 400nm for a 1550 nm laser) to provide relatively high level modulation without introducing severe straining stiffening thus achieving low non-linearity.
[0029] The cap 40, or at least the portion of the cap 40 through which electromagnetic radiation is passed, is transparent to the electromagnetic radiation. This may for example be achieved by using an undoped or relatively low doped cap 40 or portion of the cap 40 through which the electromagnetic radiation is arranged to pass. This ensures that little or no power is absorbed 20 or reflected while the electromagnetic radiation is travelling through the cap 40.
[0030] The resonator device may be provided with an integrated temperature sensor. Since the thickness of the cap 40 varies with temperature, by measuring the thermal expansion of the cap using the electromagnetic stimulation or interrogation signal, the temperature of the package may be determined, for example by using previous calibration using a look-up table, algorithm etc. A suitable cap thickness may be selected such that its "optical thickness" can be measured as a temperature signal. A temperature measurement enables resonator frequency changes to be compensated for temperature for enhanced accuracy. The device may also be used as a temperature sensor or multivariable sensor.
[0031] Figure 3 shows the clear correspondence between applied pressure and resultant resonant frequency of the package illustrating the precision of results achieved from a resonator device which is also very robust and suitable for use in harsh environments, such as downhole, in aeroengines etc. Similar results are obtained when using the resonator device to measure other characteristics such as force, acceleration, fluid presence etc.
[0032] Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method for fabricating a resonator device 10. In step 100, a diaphragm wafer 30, a resonator wafer 20 and a cap wafer 40 are provided. In step 200 they are bonded together, preferably by silicon fusion bonding, to form a hermetically sealed 10 package 10 with the resonator 20 enclosed by the diaphragm 30 and cap 40. In step 300 electromagnetic radiation is arranged to be applied extrinsically to the sealed package 10 to stimulate and interrogate the resonator 20, for example via a fibre 50 connected to an appropriate source of electromagnetic radiation such as a laser.
[0033] Many variations may be made to the examples described above without departing from the present invention. For example, the resonator device 10 may be used in any appropriate transducer device, such as to measure pressure, force, acceleration, the presence of a fluid etc.

Claims

1. A resonator device for a transducer, the resonator device comprising a resonator provided on a diaphragm with a cap enclosing the resonator and forming a hermetically sealed package, wherein the resonator is arranged to be excited by applying electromagnetic stimulation.
2. The resonator device of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic stimulation is applied from outside the hermetically sealed package.
3. The resonator of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the cap is transparent to electromagnetic radiation.
4. The resonator of any preceding claim, wherein an optical cavity is formed between the inside surface of the cap and the resonator and the resonator device is arranged to be interrogated by applying an electromagnetic signal into the optical cavity to derive a frequency change of the resonator.
5. The resonator of claim 4, wherein the electromagnetic stimulation of the resonator and the electromagnetic signal to interrogate the resonator device are both applied through the same fibre.
6. The resonator of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the electromagnetic stimulation and interrogating electromagnetic signal are different wavelengths.
7. The resonator of any preceding claim, wherein the resonator, diaphragm and cap are each formed from silicon wafers which are fusion bonded together to create an evacuated hermetically sealed package.
8. The resonator of any preceding claim, wherein the resonator device is arranged to measure thermal expansion or contraction of the cap thickness to determine temperature.
9. The resonator of claim 8, wherein the measured thermal expansion or contraction of the cap thickness is used to compensate for thermally induced resonator frequency changes.
10. The resonator of any preceding claim, wherein the resonator is provided with a target to receive the electromagnetic stimulation and the diameter of the target is at least ten times the diameter of a fibre arranged to apply the electromagnetic stimulation to the resonator device.
11. The resonator of claim 10, wherein the target is coated with a light absorbing layer.
12. A pressure transducer including a resonator device according to any one of the preceding claims.
13. An acceleration sensor including a resonator device according to any one of the preceding claims.
14. A force sensor including a resonator device according to any of the preceding claims
15. A method of fabricating a resonator device, the method comprising:
providing a diaphragm wafer, a resonator wafer and a cap wafer;
bonding the wafers together to form a hermetically sealed package with the resonator enclosed by the diaphragm and cap and
arranging to apply electromagnetic radiation to the sealed package.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is applied extrinsically to the sealed package.
17. A resonator device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
18. A method of fabricating a resonator device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
PCT/US2013/075004 2012-12-14 2013-12-13 Resonator device WO2014093817A1 (en)

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EP2932219A1 (en) 2015-10-21
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GB201222630D0 (en) 2013-01-30
EP2932219B1 (en) 2021-10-27

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